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The Finale
“The Beginning of the End: The Final Chapter of the Seeker – Part 1” After a long and arduous task deep in the East Core Abyss, you were able to retrieve a most precious treasure, the very soul of Ravoth broken into shards to prevent the Master Shadow from gaining full power over the Mythlands. The road has been so very long and you have grown so very weary. No one should be forced to see centuries pass with such evil strangling away the hope and life of your people as you have. Yet, a Seeker’s existence is never fair and such is the way of a selfless life. It is with this pressing against your mind that you pull yourself from the deep, dark pit of despair that Ravoth saw fit to hide the last hope of the Mythlands. You emerge from the caverns and make your way back to the Agelink. Using the fountain of power that has grown strong in your spirit, you press the Agelink to create a doorway it has never before created…back to a time past your own existence. You open it to the village of Esert, when a scarred man dared to apprentice a young boy by the name of Enrick, and that boy grew into a man that saw fit to steal a sword of immeasurable potential and power. You approach the cottage of your first teacher and knock gently on the old wooden slats. It opens and you gaze upon the kind face of a man you never thought to see again. He smiles warmly while you wearily gaze back. “Come in, Traveler! Tell me where you have been and what you have seen. You look as if you have a story to tell.” It is a danger to tell the past of what is to come in the future…you know this. However, there is also peace and solace that can only be found in the company of old friends and you know in your heart that you have so few of those left. Despite your great strength and power that have grown through the years, you cannot help the tears that poor down your face as you begin to unravel the story of your path to the one man who directed your first step. Despite how unbelievable it all is, he listens with patience and understanding. When you tell him of the Nayavi, he smiles and nods. When you explain his death, his countenance falls, but the gleam of hope still shines in his eyes. When you describe the Levyn in Vyril, his eyes fill with wonder. When you speak of the salvation of Zeruul from the clutches of the Master Shadow, his smile breaks across his face, and when you tell him of the fall of Ravoth, storms flitter across his brow. Yet, through it all, he listens. He sees that you are broken. All that once made you strong is now just armor for a hollow husk of a person. No title, no lineage, no power, no magic, and no strength can return to you the innocent spirit you once had. Enrick refuses to accept your defeat, though. After spending the day and pouring out your despair, he grabs you by both shoulders and insists that the end is in sight, if you’ll only press on. You explain that you have tried to do it on your own before and have failed. It is an a tone he refuses to accept. He grabs his cloak, his Nayavi, and a pack before grabbing you by the shoulders and insisting that your story is not yet finished. Leading the way, he drags you to the location of the Agelink and demands you show him how it works. With a wave of your wand and a word of power, you open the link to the Ebony Spires of Bont, home of the Tree Twins and their foolish wisdom. “The Beginning of the End: The Final Chapter of the Seeker – Part 2” As the mists from the Agelink dissipate, you see a dark land flooded by waters dark and murky, yet still twistingly beautiful. Only in Bont do the fish fly in the air, the birds swim in the seas, and what should be is what shouldn’t. Enrick is mystified by the area, watching the ruckii float beneath the impossible bridge and pedirotas tumble down the hills. His sense of wonderment is only broken by a sense of unease you fill in the air. You feel a dark magic thickening the aether and you cannot place the source of it, yet you know with certainty that it wasn’t here before. Proceeding with caution, you make your way with Enrick to the last known location of the Tree Twins. It has been 200 years since you first visited this land as the Ivory Spires of Bont, but it is your hope that they are as unmoved as they have been for millennium. Yet, when you come across their place of abode, on the shore between land, sea, sky, and deep, you do not find them spinning in tandem. In their stead is two worn spots and the strangest impressions in the ground you have seen yet. Similar to a pedirota, yet somehow not matching the same linear pattern, they dance around the area showing signs of a struggle. “What is the meaning of this?” Enrick asks you in confusion. “I do not know. The Tree Twins should be here. Their knowledge is far too valuable for most to do them harm. They have existed here for ages. As far as I know, they are immortal,” you reply as you study the prints. “They lead off to the hill over yonder. Should we go in search of them?” “We must. They are the only ones who may have the knowledge we seek.” As you and Enrick travel to the hill beyond, you hear a mighty roar and the skies begin to swirl above in a most unnatural act of nature. You hear lightning crack and the clouds turn a sickly bruised color, completely out of place in a land filled with such vibrancy and life. The swirling winds become stronger and it becomes a struggle to fight against them in your climb. Whispering a word under your breath, you create a bubble of protection around you and Enrick. Making your way to the top, you come upon a clearing where stands a beast you have never known before. With the body of a horse, grotesque hands of a monstrous man, and the head and torso of a creature you cannot name, it holds a relic of great power in its grasp. As you stand there taking everything in, you feel the piece release wave upon wave of the dark, evil, and murky magic that has infused the land. The beast notices your approach and roars at you. “Who are you to dare intrude in my land?” the ancient creature demands. “I’m the Seeker. Who are you to poison this place that I have placed my guardianship over?” you shout back, your voice strong in opposition to this new foe. “I am the Centaur Chieftain of Old! Who are you to dare defy me? A Seeker?! Seeker of what?! You have no power here!” With his words, you feel the amulet in his hand pulse all the stronger and your own magic begins to syphon away. Enrick turns to you and his eyes widen in panic, most assuredly in fear…feeling the same loss you do. However, you are not without your strengths. Magic is merely one facet of who you are and though this foe is mighty indeed, his power something of the Shadow itself, you will not allow the innocent denizens of this land become slaves to corruption once more. Grabbing your bow from your back, you notch it with an arrow made of pure unobtainium…a gift from Aznor ages ago. You draw the string back with strength and precision before releasing the arrow straight and true. It flies with expert marksmanship and strikes the great beast in his heart. He roars in fury before crumpling to the ground, his stilted legs no longer having the strength to bear his weight. Your conscious is heavy for the act, but it was necessary to keep the land pure and free. The skies above stop their sickening and unnatural storm. They part to let in the softest sunlight, bringing warmth to a land that hasn’t experience such promise and hope for at least the past couple centuries. It sparkles across the waters below. Your mind is not on that at the moment, though. You approach the fallen creature whom is breathing his last breaths. “Where are they?” you ask gently. “What do you seek?” the creature replies enigmatically. “I seek the Tree Twins, Centaur,” you reply with weariness. “You will find them below this mountain in the cavern I call home, locked in a cage. That is not what you truly seek, though. What do you seek?” the chieftain asks with a rattle in his breath. “I seek goodness, truth, and what is right,” you reply to the dying beast. “Again, you lie, Seeker. I can see into your soul. I know what lies buried there.” “I seek an end. I seek peace,” you reply with measures of guilt and shame. “There is no wrong in seeking an end to turmoil, Seeker. You have brought an end to mine. Goodness, truth, and righteousness are too perfect ideals for an imperfect world. There will be no end to your quest with such lofty goals. Balance…Peace…an End…these are things you can find.” On the last, his breath begins to gasp and heave. You place your hand against his body and feel as his chest no longer moves. Enrick remained where you both stood a bit away, but as you turn to look at him, his eyes are filled with knowledge and understanding. You walk silently to meet him and then to the cavern below. Inside, you find the twins silently asleep in a cage. Your magic, having been returned to you at the death of the Centaur Chief, jumps to unlock the metal bars and with it, the Tree Twins come awake. “Seeker, we’ve been waiting for you!” said one of the twins with a smile. “’Tis true! ‘Tis true!” The second twin seemed, if anything, exasperated by your tardiness. “The game has changed, has it not?” the first said with concern laced in her voice. “What you now seek is no longer what you originally sought,” said the other with a dark gleam to her eye. “What you battle now is a creature that can’t be faught,” the first says with a forlorn tone. “Your time is almost up by the hands of the clock!” the second whispers with malicious glee. “The Beginning of the End: The Final Chapter of the Seeker – Part 3” The Tree Twins were rather indifferent towards their freedom. Circling around, they appeared to neither care if they were free or imprisoned. For beings so ancient…so immortal in the truest concept of the word, it came as no surprise. Enrick stood by your side as you began your questions. “I must destroy the Master Shadow,” you say with weariness in every breath. “Destroy a Shadow, you say?” replied one with a confused look. “You can’t destroy a shadow today.” “The shadow is only cast by a being in the light.” “To destroy a shadow, you must destroy what casts it.” “You must rid the earth of a being’s sight.” “The Levyn is what you must destroy, so it is writ.” As the gears turn in your head, an awful truth becomes apparent. The Master Shadow and Levyn are tied together in a terrible duality. Ravoth’s pursuit of wiping the Levyns from the land suddenly clicks into place. In an attempt to destroy the Master Shadow held within his own spirit, he attempted to destroy what causes it to exist. You turn to Enrick and see the same process of mind ticking away in his own mind. In your pack, you carry the very soul of Ravoth, pieces left to you that were used in the creation of the first Levyn beyond the realm of Vril. It was his soul that bound the Levyn together and it is his soul that can truly destroy it. “How do I bind together the soul of Ravoth?” you ask the mysterious girls. “Now that is a question worthy of an answer, Seeker of light.” “Your fate is now known to you through and through.” “Bind the core of Ravoth’s soul within the Levyn’s sight.” “With the strands of the Levyn’s truth, begin to sew.” “With its honor, tie Ravoth’s soul to a weapon tight.” “Strike down the Levyn and with its sacrifice as the cue…” “In the battle of ages and thick with the Master Shadow fight…” “This, Seeker, is how you’ll return the Mythlands to what is true.” “For the Master Shadow is just a phantom made real.” “It is a monster that within each of us lives.” “Just as the Levyn is an idea you can feel.” “Truth and justice should be what our spirit gives.” “Both have no place in a physical world.” “They are symbols of the heart in us all.” “Magic and deceit make the heart and real swirled.” “For this reason, it is up to you to ensure their fall.” “You, too, are a being of immeasurable myth.” “You’re a conscience made real. Something that shouldn’t exist.” “Go forth, Seeker, find the Levyn and set the Mythlands right.” “Kill the Levyn, the Shadow, and in be your own sacrifice.” You turn to Enrick and, in his eyes, you see the truth of their words. Yet, he looks at you with hope and affection. “I must return home,” Enrick says. “There will soon be a new Seeker…just a child, really, that will approach me for training. I must go back to my own time and raise this Seeker in truth and honor so that you now will have the strength that you need to complete your task. Good luck, Seeker, and know that never has a greater being walked the Mythlands.” You watch your mentor walk away and turn back to the Tree Twins. “You mentioned a weapon and binding Ravoth’s soul to the weapon. Where do I find this weapon?” “Oh, any little twig will do.” “Its power truly lies within you.” “Arcane, fire, shock, and ice…” “Physical, enchanted, and precise…” “Nature, technology, and deepest of magic…” “Beautiful light and darkness so tragic.” “Find the Levyn and know what to do.” “The ultimate weapon lies within you.” With a great sense of resolve, you return to Esserton. In the city center is the young Levyn you planted with Zeruul. You approach the small tree, and knowing it can talk and move by your interaction with Levyn’s in the past, you explain what must be done. “You have to watch me create this weapon. You and I must then go to Ravoth and the Master Shadow. I must destroy you in the process.” You choke on the words and a tear trickles down your cheek at the confession. “Fear not, Seeker. We shall destroy the Shadow together. How better to destroy what is evil than a conscience sacrifice done in the heart of good and right? I was made for this purpose and so were you. Let us find our destiny, Seeker. You and I will bring light and goodness back to the heart of the Mythland. It was never meant to walk among them. It was always meant to be within them.” Using a branch from the Levyn, you create the weapon that the Tree Twins explained. Pouring all of your spirit into it and binding it with all that is good in the Levyn, you create an ultimate weapon to destroy anything in its path. Thus, you and the Levyn, armed with the greatest weapon ever whispered of in the Mythlands, begin your pursuit of the Master Shadow and dare to meet fate. “The Beginning of the End: The Final Chapter of the Seeker – Part 4” With the Levyn at your side, you travel to Zeruul’s castle, now inhabited by Ravoth, possessed by the Master Shadow. Shadow creatures swarm the dust and cobwebbed filled crevices of the crumbling building. They dart from one corner to the next with only the light of the Levyn holding them at bay. You walk deeper into the inner sanctum and find Ravoth sitting on a throne, constructed of bones and the carcasses of those who tried to oppose him. Around him a red aura with a palpable cruelty and malignance. “Seeker, you have come! I see that you have brought the Levyn with you this time. It won’t save you.” The voice rasps and growls, coming from Ravoth’s mouth, but obviously the Master Shadow. I vicious grin stretches across the scarred man’s face and his eyes glow with an otherworldly quality. “I know the truth, Shadow. I know how to conquer you.” The last is said on a whisper that passes over your lips, despair and sorrow laced together in perfect tandem as you raise your weapon against the vile creature that was once your friend. You call forth all the power of the Mythlands and strike true. Ravoth’s body crumples to the ground…dead. The Master Shadow emerges from the corpse and coalesces in a specter of pure evil. With unleashed cruelty, his heckling echoes off the walls and his shadow minions screech in approval. “Do you really think killing a mere body could possibly stop me, Seeker? Have you learned nothing?! You cannot conquer me. My strength is too great. My power is to grand! You are nothing but a bug to me. Like all the others, I will simply crush you underfoot.” You turn to the Levyn and feel tendrils of light reach out towards you. It gives you strength to do the unthinkable. It gives you strength to destroy…to create…to give the Mythlands and new beginning and to end the long reign of the Levyn and Master Shadow. Your mouth shapes into a grim line as you look on the beautiful tree full of goodness and life. As you face the Master Shadow and hear peels of laughter with the cackling of darkness all around, you feel the Levyn’s light infuse you with determination. With a sense of peace and hope, you smile for the first time in centuries. You raise your weapon and point it to the Levyn, listening as the laughter turns to screeches. The Master Shadow reaches out towards you, latching on to your soul and pulling it from your body. The pain racks your body, but your aim stays true. You feel your dying moment as your heart slows, but the light within you keeps the Master Shadow from controlling your actions. “It’s over,” you whisper, as a bolt of power leaves your weapon and enters the Levyn. In a burst of light, the Levyn explodes and turns to ash. You fall to the ground, feeling your last breaths pass your lips. You watch as the blinding light strikes every crevice, every corner, and every shadow, turning them into wisps of smoke that dissipate in the air as if they never existed. You watch the Master Shadow as his form goes from a deep and rage filled red to a soft blue. In a shimmer, he is gone. Your eyes grow heavy and close. “The Beginning of the End: The Final Chapter of the Seeker – Part 5” You open your eyes again and everything felt to have been a dream. The pain and anguish of only moments before drift away like they had never been. Stretched out before you is an island of such beauty and tranquility. Just beyond lies a mansion and you walk towards it in hope of an explanation. For the first time in as long as you can remember, your footsteps are light and filled with joy. The sun shines down and its warm rays are a welcomed balm to your scarred soul. You approach the dais of the mansion and on the steps are Enrick and Ravoth deep in conversation. When they catch sight of you, they quickly turn and grin. Enrick holds his arms open and you run to them and fondly hug your mentor lost so many years ago. “You have done it, Seeker! You have ended the reign of the Master Shadow. The light of the Levyn and the darkness of the Shadow live within all who are still in the Mythlands, potential for good and evil in their every action. No longer do they have to fear from oppression beyond their control, though. You have saved them.” “What is this place?” you ask with childlike innocence. “These are the Elesian Isles, Seeker,” Ravoth explains kindly. “Here is where we can all find peace and you, dear Seeker, rule this land. You are the heart of the Mythlands made manifest. You are its soul, its conscience, and its guide in times of darkness or in light. Peace is yours to bring and yours to give as you see fit.” In his hands, he presents to you two items. “This is the Crown and Scepter of Ragnarok. Find your rest here, but always be ready to be called on should you be needed again. The battle between good and evil wages on and you may be all that stands in its way in the future. Always be ready, Seeker.” You enter the mansion and see friends from ages past. The Blacksmith, Elven Forrester, and Failed Wizard laugh with Farmer Ted and his daughter. Happy Elemental Goblins cast all manners of magic towards each other. Peron Rhin, Cog Lord Keeland, and Philima enjoy a heated debate over faction strength. In the middle of it all, a small White Mouse scurries down the hall for a small bit of bread. The breath leaves your chest and you choke as tears course down your cheeks. It is over and you have won. The Mythlands are free to decide their own fate. Enrick stands beside you and wraps his arm around your shoulder. Leaning over, he whispers in your ear. “Do you want to hear a story?” You can’t speak around the happiness in your heart, so you merely nod your head with a smile. “I’ll tell you about the greatest person I ever knew to walk the Mythlands,” he says with joy and affection in his eyes. “It started on a beautiful day when a young child I knew asked to be trained…” And thus began the tale of the greatest Seeker ever known. The End…or The Beginning…